hamerhead Posted February 18, 2012 Posted February 18, 2012 I'm about to pull the trigger on a Champ X2 head, and wonder if anyone here uses the Fuse software on an X2, Mustang, or G-Dec.How user-friendly is it? How tweakable are the parameters? How save-able are the tweaks? Ect ect ect.......Thanks in advance.
Riffmonger Posted February 19, 2012 Posted February 19, 2012 I use it on a G-DEC3. Works great. Pretty simple once you grasp the vibe of the software. REALLY easy tweaks of all parameters for delay, reverb adding pedals etc. Sync your amp to it and play as you tweak to dial in the tone then save the preset. I haven't used it in a month, so I'm forgetting some things. I love the Fuse community thing where you can download other user presets and jam tracks for the G-DEC. I've got some good presets right now. I've avoided messing with it lately as I find myself spending more time tweaking than playing.
fractal Posted February 19, 2012 Posted February 19, 2012 It works great for me too. Ditto about tweaking vs. playing... However, it allows for some really easy yet really powerful manipulation of the sound parameters. (I'm using a Mustang I for a practice amp, and have actually been eyeing a Champ X2 head because of the great sounds I get out of my Mustang I.)The parameters are very tweakable, and you can save as many sounds as you want, because you can save sounds to your computer as well as the amp.Let us know how you like it.
Riffmonger Posted February 19, 2012 Posted February 19, 2012 Go to Youtube and sniff around for some demo stuff. Here is one that I found that shows quite a bit of the features. Some of them may not be available for the Champ. For example this demo shows the cabinet selection option which the G-Dec doesn't support (demo is for a Mustang), but all the amps G-Dec, Mustang and Champ all use the Fuse software. None of the demos I found sound all that good since they're being recorded with internal mics from various recording devices, but you get the idea.
hamerhead Posted February 25, 2012 Author Posted February 25, 2012 So I got the X2 and the software. It's a pretty simple deal, even for a retard like me. I bought the head version that's going to get tweaked and swapped into the XD's combo enclosure so it's grab-n-go ready, and the XD head will replace the mighty Classic 30 at our practice space. The one thing I didn't like about the new amp is that they changed the voices. There are a couple real sweet ones on the XD that aren't on the X2, unless you go in and modify the closest voice. It's a pretty minor nitpick, because once you get in there......... The software is pretty neat. You connect the amp to the computer and it gives you all the models as amps and all the effects as, well - effects. You turn a knob on the model or the effect while listening to the real amp, and save it when you like it. Pretty simple. I've only messed with it for a couple hours and have some decent stuff saved, but I haven't seen it all yet. The cab sims were a cool surprise. They make a pretty big difference. The other thing I didn't really like - and I know it's only a little bitty amp - is you can't save the tweaked effects with an amp model. You can tweak any amp model however you like and save it to any of the 16 'voice' spots, and you can tweak any of the effects (almost every parameter, and even chain 7 or 8 of them together) and save them to any of the 15 'effects select' spots. But you can't tie an amp and an effects patch together. So if you want to go from a phased-out Fender clean to a monster Marshall with delay and reverb, you gotta turn both knobs to get there. And I had to reboot a couple times after a glitch, so you have to be sure to 'save' often enough. Again, it's a minor thing that can be overlooked because....... It sounds soooo good. If you like the XD, you'll really like the X2. The tweak factor takes it up at least a notch, probably 2. I can see this being my gig amp for the next while, because it's definitely loud enough for my old ears, has a direct out if it's not, and as they update and upgrade the software, there'll be even more crap for me to rave about. I've always been a Fender guy, using pedals to get where I as going. I'm pretty happy to still be a Fender guy, but - look Ma! - no pedals.
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